How A Professional Organizer Tidies Up Under The Sink

As seen in Huffington Post

My last post tackled starting small with your organizing as a way to motivate you onto the bigger projects.  I focused on steps you can use to tackle the often forgotten about space under the sink, but really you can apply those steps to other spaces that need a bit of love.  Since one of the biggest questions I get is “How do you keep your home organized” I thought you might appreciate a look into my home. Particularly under my sink and how I deal with it when it is no longer working.

The space wasn’t a disaster but definitely needed an update.  It’s always a good plan to identify what your problem is before going in to fix it.  My two biggest issues were that: 1. We use a lot of washcloths to wipe kid’s face and hands and the dirty ones kept congregating on the counter until I got fed up enough to bring them to the laundry room.  2. The stackable bins I was using wouldn’t stay stacked and what I had in them wasn’t accessible enough for me.

The third issue was that no one other than me was really maintaining my system.  What was intuitive to me wasn’t as straightforward to my husband and my kids couldn’t grab a washcloth or hand towel with turning everything upside down.

I had a few minutes one day and decided to deal with this space.  So out everything came and the inside got a thorough wipe down.  Once all the products came out and they were sorted I took inventory of what I really needed to keep there.  I have to admit, since I had already pared down what was stored there some time ago the list wasn’t very long.  My biggest challenges was really getting everything back under the sink in a way that A. made sense for how I used it and B. was going to be maintained by others.

With a husband, a 5 year old and 3 year old this was no small feat.  Clearly what I was doing before wasn’t working so I decided to keep it simple.  Very simple.  The most used items needed to be right in front and it needed to be SUPER clear where things went.

The recycling bin was a non-movable.  It’s the most convenient and out of sight spot for us to have it.  Unfortunately that means I lose about half my space.  Saving the earth takes sacrifice!  I picked up a small plastic shelf from the dollar store and grabbed some bins that both fit what I needed to store and could go in the space the shelf allowed for.

My under the sink essentials are washcloths, kitchen towels, dish sponges, clothes to clean the counter and dishwasher detergent (because we seriously run that thing once a day!) I also needed a convenient spot to put all the dirty cloths and towels so they wouldn’t end up on the counter.  Since my kids can’t read yet, I realized that not only did I have to label them but they needed to be in different containers so I could identify them to my children.  Oh, you need a washcloth? That’s in the clear bin.  You took my hand towel to clean the water you spilled all over the floor because your toys need a bath? No problem, just throw it in the green bucket.

So back everything went into it’s clearly designated space.  I also store a few items that only I really use behind the shelf.  Special cleaner for the stovetop, white vinegar and the cleaning concentrate I use to make up the spray I use on the counters.  You’ll notice I don’t really store cleaning products under the sink.  Over the years I have really pared down what I use in the kitchen.  I only use dish soap and a spray for the counters and they both stay up top in a tray next to the sink.   The amount of times my children literally lick food off the table has made me very careful about what I use to clean.

The last part of this space is the inside of the doors.  I didn’t change anything around this time but I do use them to hang rubber gloves (which I wear only if my nails are done which unfortunately is very infrequently, they usually get nabbed by my three year old when she plays dress-up) and a place for the plastic bags that we accumulate.

I did this under the sink update a little over two months ago and haven’t had an issue since.  Yes the occasional washcloth or dirty towel still finds it’s way to the counter but that’s just life.  It really is the small changes that make a big difference. When you see how much positive can come out of a few small changes it can be very motivating to tackle some slightly bigger projects.

Happy Organizing!  If you want to send me a peek under your kitchen sink get in touch here.

Ignore The Big Picture: Small Steps To Get You Organized

As seen in Huffington Post

Getting organized doesn’t need to be about a complete overhaul of your entire house.  Sometimes small tweaks can have a significant impact.  One of the top complaints I get from my clients, and the reason they turn to me, is that they are overwhelmed with the general lack of organization and they don’t know where to start.  The thought of reorganizing their home all at once is such a huge undertaking that they get stuck at the first step.  The truth is that sometimes looking at the big picture can be overwhelming.

Most of us don’t have hours to set aside to reorganize an entire room, so try to zone in on a smaller area of the space that is contributing to the larger problem.  Take the kitchen. Whether we like it or not we end up spending a lot of time in there and it is often a space we gather with company.  My kitchen isn’t very large, yet for some reason when my entire family is over (we are 16 with all the adults and kids) people gravitate towards the kitchen and stay there.  The last thing you want to do when you have guests over is to open a drawer or pantry door with everyone watching and have them see the disaster within.

So let’s tackle one of these disasters today; the dark abyss under the sink.  Since we generally don’t keep food under the sink it tends to be one of the most ignored spots in the kitchen.  It is easy to assume that musty smell is normal and that there may be some unknown product (or creature) way at the back that will live out the rest of it’s days there.  It really doesn’t have to be that way, I promise.

Take it all out

Get everything out.  You really want to see what has been lurking under there.  Cleaning products, wet rags, garbage, and extra sponges, whatever it is get it out.

Wipe it down

Give this space a really thorough cleaning.  I don’t just mean the bottom, take advantage of the fact that you have completely emptied the space and tackle the side and the inside of the doors as well.  There are obviously some stains that aren’t going anywhere but I have come to rely on my magic eraser a great deal.  When your all-purpose cleaner won’t do the trick I always bring in the magic eraser as my pinch hitter.  Most of the time it gets the job done.

Make it pretty

I am a huge fan of cheap and easy solutions.  Naturally, Contact paper is one of my BFFs.  Pick a nice pattern or color and slap it on the bottom.  It looks good and makes the surface easier to wipe down.  Bonus: if it gets too stained or grody you can just swap it out.

Sort it

Remember all that stuff you pulled out from under there? Now is the time to deal with it.  Put Like with Like .

Declutter

What do you really need under your sink?  Only you can answer that question but chances are you can pare down what you have.  Try to make the goal to keep only what you are actually using in that space.  Find another home in your house for the bathroom cleaners, light bulbs, products that haven’t been touched in years and other randoms that have found their way there.  Also try to avoid having all your backup products here.  Only keep the one you are currently using.

Get some gear

Now that you know what is staying under the sink you need some products to help keep it organized.  Plastic is great for this space since it is easy to clean.  Find containers that work for what you’re keeping and try to not make it a tight fit.  It’s always good to have a little wiggle room.  Don’t forget about the using the vertical space under there.  A sturdy plastic shelf, stackable bins, tension rod to hang spray bottles, hooks on the inside of the door; these are all great ways to increase your storage space.

Label it                                                                                                      

I’ve said this before but labeling is a great way to keep organized, look nice and ensure that the other people in your home don’t mess up the system because “uh, sorry, I didn’t know where to put it so I just threw it back there.”

Live with it

You may have to make some minor (or major) tweaks to your system.  That’s okay.  Our needs change over time so don’t be afraid to adapt to that.  A good organizing system should be relatively easy for you to maintain.

Starting with the easy stuff first isn’t the lazy way out. Sometimes it is  just the motivation we need to move forward.  Choose a 10-15 minute project (FYI this means ONE drawer or shelf) and just get ‘er done.  It may just start the snowball effect you need to deal with the rest of the space!

Happy Organizing!  Email me with your organizing questions or before and after pictures of your under-the-sink space.

Wrangle Your Receipts in 2016

As seen on Huffington Post

Every time you go shopping, do groceries and pay for parking your wallet tends to increase in size.  Unfortunately this is not because it’s getting filled with cash, it’s those pesky paper receipts.  You finally get so fed up that you rip them all out of there and either throw them out or shove them into a drawer somewhere.  But what if there was a better way?  Most of us tend to have some kind of filing system in place for the important paperwork but receipts from everyday purchases tend to get overlooked. Well, those days are over, so let’s push those papers into the spotlight today.

Do I need to keep this?

First of all, I am not an accountant and everyone’s situation is different so check with your provincial/federal guidelines for the important stuff that you may need for tax purposes.   That’s a whole other blog post and we’re going to focus on the easy stuff today.

Gas, restaurant and grocery receipts don’t need a very long life in your wallet, or anywhere for that matter.  As long as you’re a person and not a business they can go pretty quick.  The old rule of thumb used to be to keep them until you reconcile them with your monthly bank statement and then shred them.  Most of us don’t get statements in the mail anymore, so take a few minutes every few days, or at the end of the week to log on to your on-line banking and check your transactions.  If you keep a spreadsheet with a monthly budget be sure to enter them in and then they can go.  A lot of on-line banking will let you generate pretty pie charts to see where your money is going, so even the monthly budget spreadsheet may not be necessary.

The only other thing I will say about grocery receipts is that sometimes food spoils even though it’s not expired or you got a bad apple or something and and you want a refund.  If that happens a lot to you, by all means, hold onto it for a few extra days.

Withdrawal slips and other bank transactions tend to fall into the same rules as gas and grocery.  Make sure it makes sense with your statement (be it paper or electronic) and then shred it.  Except for taking out cash (and I’m sure they’ll figure that one out eventually) most banking transactions can be completed on-line, so consider making the leap over if you haven’t already.  Anytime you can go paperless it’s a good thing and a lot of banks let you deposit cheques through an app.  No paper records to keep and all the details are at your disposal.  Can’t argue with that!

Clothes, shoes and electronics.  Anything with a guarantee or warrantee or that can possibly break you need to hang on to until that guarantee expires.  Same thing applies to items you may need to return.  Honestly, most of the time you couldn’t pay me enough to make my kids try on clothes in the store, I would much rather buy 1 or 2 sizes that I think will fit them and return what doesn’t work.  Once you have worn the clothes or shoes you generally can’t return them anyway so keeping the receipt is pointless.  Hang onto it for a few weeks (assuming you began using the product) to ensure it’s not defective and then say goodbye to the receipt.

When should I do this?

If you’re short on time to go through your receipts, think about using some of that dead-time.  Waiting at the Dr’s office, the long line at the grocery store, watching a mindless tv show, parked in the car waiting for your friend that never shows up on time.  All great opportunities to take a minute to go through your wallet.  I like to keep a little plastic baggie in my purse for the receipts that need to be disposed of but I don’t want to throw in the garbage while I’m out.

Where should I store it?

With all that being said if you really like to keep these papers for longer but don’t have the space, or just don’t want the clutter, consider using an app.  I like using Wave (no affiliation), but there are tons of them out there.  These apps allow you to take a picture of the receipt (even the super long ones), categorize and edit them with the store name and the amount and then save them on-line.  This also helps if you want to see where your money is going or if you need to generate a report for your accountant.

But Allison, you now say, what do I do with all the receipts I am keeping? They can’t just hang out in my wallet and I don’t want to put them into my filing system! Fear not readers, the answer is as simple as a coupon-sized expanding folder. These things are small, compact, have different sections and can easily be labelled to suit your needs.  You can pick them up at an office supply store or a lot of times, the Dollarstore .  My favorite category to make is the “possibly to return”, it’s like a holding zone for the things I’m not sure about.  Just make sure to go though it every few weeks and declutter.

Happy Organizing!​

Get Organized Now And Enjoy More Of Your 2016

As featured in Huffington Post Canada

January is GO Month.  For those of you not familiar with the Professional Organizing lingo, that means it’s time to Get Organized.  The beginning of a new year is a great time for a fresh start.  The holidays are over so you likely had a huge influx of new toys, books, clothes and gadgets.  What better time could there be to take stock of what you have and do a little decluttering?

Getting organized tends to make the top 10 list for New Year Resolutions again and again.  Being organized can help simplify your life, de-stress you and free up your time to do the things you really love.  I’m a busy mom of two young children (with another on the way) and I consider my time valuable.  Why would I waste my time looking for things?  It comes down to the fact that I love spending time with my family, seeing clients, organizing, writing and being creative.  Being organized allows me to do all of these things.  It means that I don’t waste 15 minutes every morning looking for my keys.  It means that I don’t buy the same product over and over again because I can’t find the first one.  It means that I can open a cupboard or closet without feeling overwhelmed by stuff.  It means freedom to live my life.

This doesn’t mean that my home and my life is perfectly neat at all times. Afterall I am a busy, working mom whose mental “to do” list is as long as anyone else’s.  It does mean that there are things that I do (more or less without fail) that help me and my family to stay organized.

Don’t Procrastinate

I know this is easier said than done, but putting off all of the little things adds up to a big mess very fast.  Of course it’s quicker to throw your clothes on the floor instead of putting them in the laundry bin.  Of course it will cause less conflict to let your kids leave a mess after they play instead of having them put their toys away. But putting off for later what really needs to be done now always comes back to bite you.  Try using Gretchen Rubin’s One-minute rule: If you have a task that can be done in less than 1 minute, do it without delay.  So go ahead and file that paper, pick up that toy, reply to that email and put that bowl in the dishwasher.  It’s not like you’re going to come back at the end of the day and regret that your counters are clear of dishes.  Don’t procrastinate.  Just do it.

Give Everything a Home

There is a reason I called my company “Everything in Place”. When an item has a designated “home” you know where to look for it and where to put it away. You don’t want to be searching through five drawers in three different rooms to find the tape you need to wrap a present when you’re running late for a party. Try to make this home make sense for how you use the item.  The more frequently you use something the more accessible it should be.  Your favorite cozy flannel sheets should be right at the front (preferable in cute bins divided and labelled by bed size!) but it’s okay to have all the guest bedding in a vacuum bag on the top shelf of the linen closet if you only use it a few times a year.

Declutter

Forget the yearly Spring Cleaning, declutter often.  Toys get broken, shirts get ratty, dishes get chipped.  There’s no need to wait until the “designated” time to take stock of what you have.  You don’t have to tackle everything at once. If you see something that needs to be dealt with look at it as a 10 minute opportunity for a project.  Did you find a holey sock while putting away laundry? Use it as a catalyst to empty your sock drawer and keep the ones you actually need and wear.  This doesn't mean you have to dive into your entire wardrobe, but having a neat, pared down drawer of socks is an easily accomplishable task that will put a smile on your face.

Live with Less

Minimalism isn’t for everyone. It isn’t even for me.  But I do like to dip my toe into the minimalist pool. Try not to buy and accumulate the items that aren’t necessary.  That new gadget for the kitchen that takes up counter space, the extra set of bath towels you just bought because they were on sale, that hot new book you want to read even though you already have a stack of unread ones next to your bed.  All unnecessary.  Less stuff  = less mess = more freedom.  A real trend I see with my clients is having a back-up of a back-up of a back-up.  While no one wants to run out of shampoo in the middle of a shower you also don't need 5 bottles in the bathroom.  Try using my 50% rule, when something is half full  it goes on your list.  This gives you enough time to find it on sale and you don’t need to stockpile it in your already full storage space.

Consult a Professional Organizer

I realize this is a bit self serving but hear me out.  If you wanted to know the best toothpaste to use for your cavity prone teeth you would speak to your dentist.  Questioning the most effective cream for your laugh lines will send you to your dermatologist.  Why not consult an organizer for the best way to get organized?  We have the resources, training and connections to set up a system that works for your lifestyle.  I realize that it may not be in everyone’s budget to have a Professional Organizer come in for hours but a lot of us will do either in-home or remote consultations and coaching at lower cost than in-home organizing sessions.  You can set a Skype call, give the organizer a tour of your space, discuss your needs and goals and we can come up with solutions that you can implement and work for you.  As long as you are prepared and motivated to do the work we will come up with the plan.  To find a Professional Organizer that suits your needs have a look at the Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) or National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) website or get in touch with me here.

Happy New Year and Happy Organizing!